Colonoscopy and Upper Endoscopy take on an average about 30 minutes. It may take longer depending on the findings during the procedure. You should give another 30-60 minutes for preoperative evaluation and another 30-60 minutes for post-op recovery before you are discharged from the facility.

You should arrive 30 minutes prior to the time of your procedure.

Do not take your diabetes medications on the morning of the procedure until after your procedure is completed and you have started to eat. Hold any blood-thinning medications as was advised during your clinic visit with your physician. On the morning of your procedure, you can take medications for blood pressure, heart, seizure, anxiety, depression, or pain regardless of the color of the medication. Only take with a sip of water and make sure you tell the staff what medications you have taken that morning.

Colonoscopy is covered by almost all major insurance companies, including Medicare and Medicaid. Most insurance companies cover screening Colonoscopy without requiring patients to apply their co-pays or deductibles towards the test. Our office will assist you in determining your coverage at the time of your clinic visit. You are also encouraged to call your insurance company to determine coverage.

We offer pain-free colonoscopy assurance. With this assurance, you can be assured that when you get your colonoscopy with us, your experience will be comfortable and pain-free. We use the latest medications, equipment, and supplies to provide state-of-the-art sedation to our patients during their endoscopic procedures. Our Anesthesiologists and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) have special training in endoscopy sedation and experience at top hospitals. As a result, our colonoscopies and other endoscopic procedures are comfortable and pain-free. In fact, almost 100% of our patients report their upper endoscopy and colonoscopy procedures as “Painless”. We use a state-of-the-art endoscopy system with variable stiffness technology to minimize discomfort during colonoscopy. Our physicians are specially trained in the latest endoscopic skills to perform “comfortable” colonoscopies. Our physicians, CRNA, and nurses are certified in Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).

Yes there are several non surgical treatment options for hemorrhoids. To learm more click here

Having a family history of colon cancer increases your risk of colon cancer. Usually you should get a colonoscopy ten years before the age of the family member who was diagnosed with colon cancer or at40 years of age -- whichever comes earlier. You should schedule an office vist with us to discuss your options.

If you are 45 years of age or older you should be screened for colon cancer. If you have had polyps before or have a family member with a history of colon cancer or colon polyps, then you may need to get a colonoscopy at an earlier age. Similarly, some high-risk patients such as those with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease also need to have a colonoscopy at a younger age. You may also need a colonoscopy at the earliest if you have any concerning symptoms such as rectal bleeding, change in bowel habits, weight loss, abdominal pain.

If you need a refill on your prescription, please contact your pharmacy and have them send refill request to our office electronically. This is required by several insurance companies. We will then review and refill your prescription. Please give us a few days to process the refill request.

If you have not seen us in more than six months, we may ask to you to schedule a clinic visit to review your ongoing need for the medication, assess for any side effects, and to determine if any change in the medication or medication dose is required.

We make out best efforts to get your medication approved by your insurance company. However, if your insurance company will not approve the medication that was prescribed, please contact your pharmacy and ask the pharmacist to send us a list of your insurance’s preferred medications. We will then review and prescribe an appropriate alternate medication. Please note that here may be some medications that your insurance may not pay for or approve that your physician recommends you to take.

Barrett’s Esophagus can be eliminated with the the HALO radio-frequency ablation system. In a clinical study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a large percentage of patients with Barrett’s esophagus were able to achieve a cure with the HALO ablation system. For more information regarding HALO ablation click here.